My philosophy in singing and teaching is the same... Singing should be communication, first and foremost, including facial expression and body language. Therefore diction should be clean, genuine and easy to understand at any distance. When your primary goal is to communicate something specific, singing immediately becomes easier. Singing should feel and sound natural and express the appropriate emotions asked for by the situation. Singers should always have something left in reserve... as Manuel Garcia(II) said "Do not let anybody see the bottom of your purse; never spend all you possess, nor have it noticed that you are at your last resource." Today we often say "Sing with the interest, not the principal".

I sing and teach with Bel Canto technique, which is a skill set needed to sing Bel Canto repertoire, however it is easily translated into every genre of the professional singer. Every student has different deficiencies and physicality, so the path of each student is unique. I believe dynamics should be achieved more through resonance variation than through change of breath weight. Singing should be flexible and feel both healthy and unstrained. If something feels wrong, believe yourself, trust your instincts and find another path to follow. You should experience the joy of singing in everything you sing. If this isn't possible, you're probably singing something inappropriate for you or that you're not ready for at this point. Finally, singers should have a complete understanding of style, legato, phrasing and variation of color. I feel blessed in my life to have had truly great mentors who worked extremely hard to give me these gifts. I love these people dearly.